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Chapter 29
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Ambition vs. Morality
Femininity, Sexuality, and Power
Truth and Identity
Family
Summary
Analysis
Back in the present, Evelyn goes to the window and opens it. She tells Monique that, at that point in her life, she didn’t know it was okay to grovel for what she wanted, even though she was miserable. She pored over Sub Rosa for pictures of Celia. Though she regrets wasting that time not being with Celia, she and Celia both knew that they’d find each other again.
Monique’s phone beeps with the ringtone she set especially for David. She sees he’s written her a message saying that he wants to talk. She ignores it and asks Evelyn about her next marriage to Rex North. Evelyn explains that the film she was working on, Anna Karenina, was over budget and behind schedule and they needed to save it, so she married Rex, who was playing her character’s love interest.
David’s ringtone is different from the others in Monique’s phone, which emphasizes his role as her husband—a rigid, compartmentalized role. Meanwhile, Evelyn’s ability to quickly explain her marriage to Rex without pausing or derailing the conversation is a sign that she didn’t have a strong emotional connection to him.
Themes
